Headphones
by R.G Charleoui
Summary: under your shadow, I am warm. Drabble between FeMCxHidetoshi.


She ended up running for student council president. It was expected really, who would wonder at this? Next to the Kirijo Princess herself, she is second best…maybe she even transcends the ice queen in more ways than one. She's far warmer in every way; she throws herself into every problem and finds every single solution to every problem. Everyone knows her name; everyone calls her their "idol". Gekkoukan has never seen such a leader as her.

"I don't think we should take our lives for granted," she said in her speech, throwing a well-aimed glance to Junpei, Yukari and Aigis who smiles back at her. "We should make the best of what we have, may it be a blessing or a curse."

"Let your heart lead you and it will surely lead you to great things."

Applause echoes all around the room but the sea faces are divided into two, the realists and the optimists. You could see how that girl's smile looks a little too thin and how that boy sitting next to her is wiping his tears away with his handkerchief, making over-exaggerated moves in an attempt to shush down that glass case of emotion inside him.

Once she steps down from _her_ stage, Hidetoshi suddenly appeared beside her and gave her a warm smile.

"Congratulations," says the discipline committee representative, feeling no ill will towards the girl, although at one point he expressed a liking to run for president. "Speech was great."

"You think?" she hugged him and pulled back quickly to wave at the other members behind him. "I think I might be too biased with everything. I might be rambling about that stupid paintbrush and that last line was much too cheesy for my taste. The crowd got me, I guess. I was shaking like a leaf."

"No, you were fine. You were great. It was a good speech delivered by an excellent person."

She rolled her eyes and sat down beside him. "Who's next?"

"Principal." He said in a tone that implied surrender. "His speeches always dragged."

She extended her hand out and dropped her red earphones and her phone on Hidetoshi's lap. He looked up to see her flashing him a wink. "Use it." She whispered from the corner of her mouth before leaning animatedly from her seat to listen to his speech.

He looked down in surprise at her phone and earphones. Her _possession_. What a privilege. His hands hung uselessly in midair, unsure as to whether or not to give them back to her or wear it himself or even attempt the impossible by asking her to share it with him.

Just the suggestion of his last thoughts was enough to send shivers down his back. He had long since gave in to his feelings for her – and he already confessed, only to be turned down politely because at the time she was dating _the boxer_ – but still, it was hard for him to actually show it. He had only become accustomed to the changing emotions in his body – and he thinks wryly how could he be so numb towards his emotions – it was like hitting puberty for the first time all over again.

He gulps down and pretends to look around for someone. It was startlingly quiet compared to the debate going on inside his head. The auditorium was dark and he could only make out the thin, feathery outlines of his fellow classmates before disappearing into the cloud of darkness once more. He looked beside him and his fellow council members were all sitting in one straight, polite, row of seats, with her taking up the seat nearest the stage and him beside her – although the seat was originally for the vice – president.

It was unnerving that everything outside him was neat and organized whilst the inside of him prevented any means of _any_ organizing. He had a one track mind.

_MinakoMinakoMinakoMinako_ – would you care to share this headphone with me?

He could already see her response, hear her voice, and see the arc of her eyebrows going up into surprise. Then she permits a tiny laugh to escape from her lips before giving out her judgement.

_No_ – she would say mockingly.

His fingernails scraped against the plastic of his chair and his upper teeth meshed with his lower teeth.

If such a thing was possible…would he even dare risk it? All for love? Or can this even be called such a thing? Never would he think that she'd be saying yes to him. He knew that from past experiences – well only _one_ experience as the others were fairly good.

Why were his thoughts suddenly geared to the darkness that is not her at all? He let his memories of her wash over his ashamed head and it was enough to chase away the fleeting images of nastiness and loveliness but it could not dull the one ache he wanted to smother for a long time.

His body finally disconnects from self and he was thrown out of his body. He watched in horror the moving of his lips to form the sentence –

"_Minako, would you be mine?" _

But it stops before it could take another breath. He did not know why it stops. Call it his will, or Fate. Heck, throw God into the equation as well but one thing that is sure is that it stops. Before it could turn air into whispers, whispers into words and he is left staring at the slender neck of Minako, with hair of brown pooling all around her shoulders, the eyes of crimson that glittered like stars.

And he realizes that, _no_ – so what if he doesn't tell her he loves her? Would it even make a difference? Would she somehow choose him over the perfect, golden boy boxer? With that realization came anger, came peace, and came serenity. He was perfectly fine with their friendship. Perfectly content always being in the shadows. If it means she'll always be in his sight, he'd gladly comply (even if it's only her backside).

He settles back in his chair, anticipating another night of contemplation of smithereens, of loneliness, of hot baths and such.

Then she turns her head around, like a spotlight, her eyes drive a ray of sunshine over his face. He is stunned when she picked up on end of the earphone and attached it to her left ear and took the other end and attached it to his right ear and when she reached out once more to touch a button to play the sounds, her fingers brushing against his arm when she retracted her hand.

She smiled once again at him, but it was a different kind of smile. It was like she knew what was going on inside his head but choosing to be silent about it. "Or we could share." Her voice slashes through notes and sound waves…and it was clear as day.

Of course, her voice always seemed to reach him…wherever she may be.


End file.
